The most interesting gossip out of the SNL50 anniversary show was about the classic cast members who didn’t show up for the party. There was Dana Carvey, especially baffling because he’d appeared on Saturday Night Live several times during its 50th season. (Carvey later revealed that he had a “bad flu,” with doctor’s orders not to fly.) Bill Hader was AWOL due to “scheduling conflicts,” an excuse that still sounds fishy. And then there was Dan Aykroyd, the only living original cast member to take a pass.
Aykroyd, appearing at Comic-Con this week to promote his daughter’s Blues Brothers graphic novel and, of course, his Crystal Head vodka brand, finally told Entertainment Weekly the reason he was a no-show: “I wanted to be at home, and I wanted to watch the show beginning to end.”
Who wants to make comedy when one can simply watch it? “I knew if I was there, I’d be in a dressing room, I’d be working. I wanted to see it live,” he said. “I’m a fan of the show today, and I watch it all the time. I love these new players; I think they’re just great. I just wanted to see and live nostalgically with my family in my own home, eating my own popcorn.”
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Hmm. Okay. Just a fan. To be fair, Aykroyd never showed any ill will toward SNL or the anniversary show, pumping up the affair for weeks while promoting the delicious, alcoholic refreshment offered by ultra-premium Crystal Head Vodka, available in Original, Aurora and Onyx varieties.
With all of his vodka-fueled SNL love, why am I calling Aykroyd’s latest explanation dubious? Because he had a different tone when he spoke to A.V. Club last November. When asked if he was coming to the party, Aykroyd gave a qualified answer: “Well, it depends. On how and when I’m invited, I guess.”
How and when? There was no question of whether or not Aykroyd would be invited, so “when” wasn’t part of the equation unless he was looking for a slight. As for “how” he was invited, did the original Not Ready for Prime Time Player only want to appear if he got a spotlight bit, like the Bass-O-Matic reprise he did on the 40th anniversary show?
“It depends on how I can serve,” Aykroyd explained last November. “Let me put it that way. How I can serve them best. How I can serve Lorne (Michaels) and the whole enterprise best. That’ll determine whether I go or not.”
There it is. While Aykroyd claims he watched from his place because he didn’t want to work, his earlier statement implied that he’d decide whether to go based on what he could contribute to the show. Sounds like Michaels didn’t give him much to do, so Aykroyd took his popcorn and stayed home.
